【正确答案】1. Proponents of the use of air bags in automobiles claim that these units, designed to inflate automatically in case of a crash, can cushion passengers against the impact of the collision, thereby saving lives. They say that, like seat belts, air bags should be required in every new ear. Opponents argue that air bags would add hundreds of dollars to the cost of a new ear, putting domestic producers at a competitive disadvantage, since foreign producers are not required by their governments to include the air bag safety feature.
2. If the population of the earth goes on increasing at its present rate, there will eventually not be enough resources left to sustain life on the planet. By tile middle of this century, if present trends continue, we will have used up all the oil that drives our ears, for example. Even if scientists develop new ways of feeding the human race, the crowded conditions on the earth will make it necessary for us to look for open space somewhere else. But none of the other planets in our solar system are capable of supporting life at present. One possible solution to the problem, however, has recently been suggested by an American scientist, Professor Carl Sagan. Sagan believes that before the earth's resources are completely exhausted, it will be possible for the human race to change the atmosphere of Venus and so create a new world almost as large as the earth itself.